Hajj ritual begins in Saudi Arabia

Wearing their Ihram, or white unstitched cloth, pilgrims have begun walking to Mina on the first leg of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage that is one of the five main pillars of Islam.

The pilgrims were supposed to start from Haram Sharif in Makkah or their homes and hotels on Friday, but the walk began on Thursday evening, according to the Saudi authorities.

They will attempt to reach Mina before the Zuhr or midday prayer.

The moon for the month of Zilhajj was sighted in Saudi Arabia last Thursday, the Saudi Supreme Court said in a statement. Accordingly, the main ritual of Hajj will be performed in Arafat on Jun 15 and Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated there on Jun 16.

More than 85,000 Bangladeshi pilgrims went to perform the Hajj in Saudi Arabia this year. More than 2 million people from different countries are expected to gather for the Hajj.

From midday on the eighth day of Zilhajj to early morning the next day, the pilgrims are to stay in Mina and offer five prayers there.

The main ritual of Hajj is performed on the ninth day of Zilhajj. Pilgrims start their journey from Mina to Arafat. The distance from Makkah to Arafat is 18 kilometres, but from Mina to Mount Arafat is 12.9 kilometres. Spending time in Arafat is a very important ritual section of the Hajj. Mount Arafat is called ‘Mount Mercy’ or ‘Jabal al Rahmah’, in Arabic.

At this mount, Muhammad is said to have delivered his last sermon during Hajj. Here, Muslims ask Allah for forgiveness and supplicate themselves. They offer two prayers (Zuhr and Asr) together.

After sunset, pilgrims leave Arafat for Muzdalifah where they offer two more prayers (Maghrib and Isha) together. They spend the night under the open sky and collect pebbles for the stoning ritual in the Muzdalifah. They leave the town on the morning of the 10th day of Hajj.

The pilgrims head to Makkah to perform the Tawaf al-Ifadah and Sa’i and then go back to Mina to perform the Rami, Nahr and Halq.

Rami means throwing stones. This ritual is performed in Mina by throwing stones at three special pillars. The performance of this is repeated on the fourth and fifth days of Hajj.

The end of the stone ceremony calls for animal sacrifice. Apart from the pilgrims, it is also an important act for all Muslims who can perform it.